The Denver Broncos fought and clawed their way back against the Cincinnati Bengals to force overtime, but ultimately fell short, losing on a walk-off touchdown from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins. Denver’s playoff hopes take another shot and now they face a must-win next week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Denver Broncos fail to capitalize on multiple opportunities vs. Bengals

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos made Saturday’s matchup against the Bengals a thriller, but they didn’t capitalize on enough opportunities on both sides of the ball and fell short in a back-and-forth matchup with Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

Bo Nix, Broncos fight and claw vs. Bengals, fall short in OT

The Broncos defense had two drives in the first half where they stopped the Bengals offense twice on fourth down. Denver’s offense couldn’t find a way to help them out, and quickly the defense found themselves back on the field as the first half flew by.

This formula was never going to work against an offense like Cincinnati’s, the most explosive unit the Broncos defense faced all season long. With Denver’s offense sputtering after their first drive, it put all of the pressure on the defense, which had a hard time getting stops against Mike Gesicki, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase — all making plays that helped keep several drives alive for the Bengals throughout the game.

In the second half, Denver’s defense ramped up the pressure on Burrow, especially in the red zone, ultimately forcing the Bengals to kick a field goal to take a 10-3.

Bo Nix and the Broncos offense responded with a game-tying touchdown drive that was fueled by the legs of Jaleel McLaughlin, who rattled off several runs of nine yards, 11 yards, and 13 yards to put Denver in a goal-to-go situation. Nix found Courtland Sutton for a touchdown that tied it up at 10-10.

Denver’s defense took several chances against Burrow and the Bengals offense, with some attempts paying off, resulting in sacks, but Burrow kept fighting and closed out the third quarter with a momentum-changing 19-yard scramble on 3rd and 13.

With 13 minutes remaining and a playoff berth on the line, Denver’s defense suffered a miscommunication on 4th and 2, and Burrow made them pay for it, driving Cincinnati into the red zone, resulting in him connecting with Tee Higgins for a touchdown to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 17-10.

Denver’s defense jabbed the Bengals’ offense, but Cincinnati kept finding ways to counterpunch.

Nix responded, air-launching a 51-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims to tie the game up at 17-17, once again putting it on the defense to get a stop against Burrow and company.

Just a few days after Christmas, the defense came up with a gift, forcing Tee Higgins to fumble the ball on a catch across the middle of the field, which gave the Broncos the ball near midfield with 5:13 remaining in the game.

With an opportunity to put the game away or take a late lead, needing only a few yards to get into field goal range, the Broncos abandoned the run game and threw a screen play that went backwards on second down, also resulting in an ineligible man downfield call. On 3rd and 15, Nix’s pass attempt was intercepted, and the Bengals went on to score with under two minutes remaining.

Cincinnati went on to score, which made it feel like the game was put away, but Nix had other plans – orchestrating a 7-play 70-yard drive, finding Mims on 4th down for a terrific catch over two defenders to tie the game with eight seconds left.

Nix signaled to go for two, but Denver called a timeout and ultimately decided to kick a PAT to send it into overtime.

To the extra period they went.

Denver’s defense rattled Burrow on their first series and forced a punt, but the offense quickly punted the ball away themselves. Burrow led the Bengals into field goal range but Cade York missed the chip-shot field goal that gave Denver another chance.

The Broncos went away from what was working, and that was running the football, with a chance to try and run the clock out if they committed to it, making the post-season by virtue of a tie, if anything. Instead, Denver’s final offensive series of the night was a three-play, two-yard drive that took 23 seconds off of the clock.

From that point forward, Burrow went to work and scorched the Broncos’ defense downfield, ultimately winning it with a quick out-route touchdown to Tee Higgins, which served as a walk-off. The conservative approach was costly.

The Broncos now drop to 9-7 on the season and face a must-win game next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, who may rest their starters. A win puts the Broncos in the playoffs.

If they can’t secure a win next week, their odds of making it go down drastically.

Broncos news and notes vs. Bengals

  • Broncos offense on third down: 4-of-11.
  • Broncos defense on third down: allowed the Bengals to convert on 7-of-13 third down attempts.
  • The Broncos defense surrendered 499 yards on the day, while being on the field for 84 total snaps.
  • Zach Allen finished the game with 3.5 sacks, and the Broncos defense finished with seven sacks on the evening in Saturday’s loss.
  • Denver was penalized seven times for 35 yards.